Indio Mara Square in Maracaibo

This is one of the emblematic squares of the city, located in the Paradise sector of 5 de July Avenue.

It was built on the occasion of the 450th anniversary of the discovery of Lake Maracaibo, paid for by the oil companies that lived in the region at that time and inaugurated on August 22, 1949 by Manuel Belloso, who chaired the board created for that purpose, being José Ortin Rodríguez who was in charge of the speech of order.

It has a round shape which produces a small traffic circle between 66th and 67th streets and has as main protagonist the mythical Mara Cacique who is in the central part on top of a podium, the latter is in the center of a fountain, having at his side Indian figures, all life-size, which honor the native ethnic groups of the region.

The sculptor was the Spanish Antonio Rodríguez del Villar. It also has green areas distributed in 6 small squares.

In 1992, on the occasion of the V centenary of the Meeting of Two Cultures in America, it was remodeled and a new sculptural element was added in the corners, which were a kind of vases in the shape of human faces of indigenous physiognomy made by the artist Ildebrando Rossi.

After that it has suffered through the years of many refurbishments. The construction of the same ended up giving its name to the sector, although it is not Plaza Indio Mara but Cacique Mara, but it is popularly known as such.

The fast food stands that have been populating its surroundings for decades and have become typical of the city, have taken away the prominence of the square itself and is now best known for these.